Machine for manufacturing shoe-stiffenings



2 Sheets- Sheet 1.

- J. MQMANUS zsv T. P. HART.. MACHINE FOR MANUFAGTUR'INGISHOESTIPFENINGS.

N0. 568,868. Patented Oct. 6, 1896.

(No Model.)

(N0 Modem 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. J. R; McMANUS 81; T. F. HART. MACHINE FORMANUFACTURING SHOE STIPFENINGS.

No. 568,868. Patented Oct. 6, 1896.

m: mums z'rins e0. mam-Lmia. WASNINGYON. o. c.

, UNITED STATES PATENT ()EEIcE.

JOHN R MOMANUS AND THOMAS F. HART, OF LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS.

MACHINE FOR MANUFACTURING SHOE-STIFFENINGS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 568,868, dated October6, 1896.

Application filed November 29, 1895. Serial No. 570,332. (No model.)

To all whom it 72mg concern.-

Be it known that we, JOHN R. MCMANUS and THOMAS F. HART, of Lynn, countyof Essex, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement inMachines for Manufacturing Shoe-Stifienings, of which the followingdescription, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is aspecification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention has for its object the production of a machine for themanufacture of shoe-stiffenings, including counters, box-toes, &c.,wherever two or more layers of material are superimposed and united bymeans of cement or other suitable adhesive material. Commonly the betterkind of this class of article is made of a layer of leather or otherboard having cemented to it at each side a layer of leather, and thepieces are cemented by hand and all the handling of the layers is byhand.

We have devised a machine by which the layers to be united areautomatically provided with cement, and when cemented are put one pieceon another by hand, and finally all the superimposed pieces are pressedto gether by mechanism.

Our improved mechanism, for the best results, comprises two machines,each having an endless carrier presenting platesor surfaces on which thepieces to be united to form the stiffening are laid and coatedautomatically with cement, the carrier being of suflicient length toenable the pieces cemented at one spot to travel far enough to drysomewhat and enable the cement to become tacky before another piece orlayer already provided with cement is laid upon it.

Our invention consists in a machine for the manufacture ofshoe-stiifenings, combined with an endless carrier havingstiffening-supporting surfaces, of holding devices to engage and holdthe stiffening-layers in place, substantially as ill be described.

Figure 1, in side elevation, represents one of the machines embodyingour invention, the second machine not being shown because just like it;Fig. 2, a top view thereof. Fig. 3 shows separated the three layersbefore they are applied together. Fig. 4 shows one of the plates withone of the stiffener-layers laid thereon and held in place 3 Fig. 5, aside view thereof 5 Fig. 6, a section in the line 41;, Figs. 1 and 2;Fig. 7, a sectional detail in the line 00; and Fig. 8, a section belowthe line 0 Fig. 7.

In the practice of our invention we prefer to use side by side twomachines substantially alike, but herein we need describe specificallybut one of the machines, briefly referring at times to its mate.

The uprights A A are joinedtogether by suitable angle-irons A to thusconstitute a suitable framework. The framework has bearings for theshafts A A provided with sprocket-wheels A A over which is extended anendless carrier, herein shown as a chain B, the links of the chainhaving jointed to them the supports B, on which are laid the portions orlayers of leather, leather-board, 850., used in the stiffening to bemade.

The angle-irons have stands B which support tracks B on which rest andtravel the supports B. The shaft A has an attached ratchet-wheel O,which is engaged by a pawl c on a pawl-carrier c pivoted on the shaft Athe pawl-carrier being actuated by a link 0 connected to a crank-pin cof a disk 0 fast on the main shaft 0 having at one end a suitable fastand loose pulley, to which is applied the power for the driving-machine.

The main shaft has a suitable sprocket or chain wheel which drives achain 17, which is extended over a sprocket-wheel b on a shaft b (seeFig. 6,) having its bearings in a suitable yoke b and provided with abevel-gear b engaging a bevel-gear b on a shaft 12 (shown by dottedlines, Fig. 6,) having fixed to it a cam disk or plate b having at itsunder side a cam-groove (shown by dotted lines,

, Fig. 2) in which enters a roller or other stud a of a lever a, pivotedat a the cam swinging the lever about its pivot.

The lever a is shown as provided with a slot aiwhich receives a pin a ofa brush-carrier a shown as a rod mounted on a pivotal pin a said rodhaving its outer or free end arranged to travel over and rest on abridge a, one end of the bridge being of cam shape to enable the end ofthe rod to descend far enough to enable a brush (Z, suitably clamped tosaid rod, to descend into a pan (1 to take up cement, preferably arubber cement, and apply it to the layer of stiffener material lying onv the support then stationary in the sweep-line of the brush. The rodhas a finishing-brush d suitably clamped to it, which acts on theuppermost layer of the stiffening to crowd it firmly down on the middlelayer. Either of these brushes may be turned down in position to act, asmay be desired.

The pan is supplied automatically, at suitable times, with cement from afountain 6, having a pipe e, provided with avalve e provided with ahandle e adapted to be struck by an arm 6* on the rod a each time thatthe brush cl enters the pan, a spring 6 closing the valve when the rod astarts to move the brush to apply cement.

The supports have near one edge suitable pins or projections f, whichserve to regulate the layers of the stiffening 011 the support, and eachsupport has pivoted to it suitable ears f, which support pins f formingpivots for the stiffener-holders, made as levers g, having fingersprovided with downturned ends to act on and securely hold thestiffening-layer while it is having cement applied to it, the fingerbeing pointed, so as preferably to enter said layer. The holding deviceis normally kept with its finger in engagement with the layer by asuitable spring 9 To open the holders for the introduction of astiffening layer, we have added to the machine two cross-arms h h,which, as each support comes in position to have a layer put on it, actson the outer end of the holder and lifts the finger g from the support,affording an open space between the fingers and support for theintroduction of the layer.

To discharge a cemented layer, we have provided other discharging-camsh, attached to blocks 71?, fixed on slides 7L3, fitted to slide inguideways h, and these cams h may be put into operative position byengaging the handle m and housing the pivoted disk or plate m, so thatthe links m connected to the slides m are driven in, but turning thesaid handle in the direction of the arrow on it (see Fig. 8) will putthe cams 7t so far apart that they will not strike the holding devicesand move them to cause the fingers of the holders to release thestiffening.

In the operation of our invention we shall have two of the machinesherein described standing side by side, one girl usually attending eachmachine. Upon one ofthe machines we will place the lowermost layer H,(see Fig. 3,) supposed to be of leather, skiving, orother usualmaterial, and upon the other like machine we will lay the intermediatelayers 12., preferably of leather-board or similar paperboard, or it maybe of leather. The attendants will apply to each one of the supports asthey come uppermost at the front of the machine the layers referred to,the holding devices being then operated so that they will be laid uponthe supports with their straightedges against the registering pins f,the holders during this operation being turned about their pivotalpoints by the arms it, so that they occupy a substantially verticalposition,

in which position the operator may freely, by a down motion, place thelayers on the supports, and thereafter the endless series of supportswill be moved and the holders will be permitted to turn down and engagethe layers, and thereafter the layers will come under the brush dandwill have cement applied to their surfaces, and the cemented layers willbe carried along to the end of the machine and back under the machine tothe front again. In the meantime, it being supposed that rubber cementhas been used, the cement, by the evaporation of the solvent in it, hasbecome sufficiently tacky to have two parts applied together. In onemachine, for instance the machine having the intermediate layers at, weshall set the discharging devices h so that they will unlock the holdersand will let the intermediate layer drop from the machine. The attendantwill thentake the intermediate layer, and, as soon as a support comesinto position to let the arms it again operate to turn the holder g intosubstantially vertical position, will lay the cemented surface of theintermediate layer at on top of the cemented surface of the layer n onthe other machine and the holders will be again Y automatically closedto engage the two layers, and when the support from which theintermediate layer at was discharged again comes uppermost the attendantwill lay upon thatsupport, the holding devices having been suitablyopened, as described, the third or uppermost layer 71 preferably againof leather, and the attendant will continue to supply the said supportswith uppermost layers 713 until the endless carrier is again filled. Bythe time that these uppermost layers, so called, again come to the frontof the machine all intermediate layers will have been cemented,discharged, and applied to the oemented under layers n, and thestiflenings composed of two layers 'n, and n will begin to arrive at thefront of the machine, and as they arrive opposite the dischargingdevices h they will be discharged from the machine, and the attendantwill take the two-part stiffening with its cemented surfaces and willtake it to the other machine, putting its cemented surface in contactwith the cemented surface of the uppermost layer 11?, the holders beingagain raised in substantially vertical position. During the next one ortwo movements of the supports the holders will be again closed upon thecombined stiffenerlayers, and said layers will be acted upon by thebrush d the cement-brush cl having for this third round of the machinebeen turned up for inaction, and the brush d acting upon theuncementedside of the former undermost layer at, will smooth and compact, as itwere, the three layerstogether firmly, the stiffener composed of thesethree layers being discharged when it arrives again opposite thedischarging device It.

By locating the holders at the ends of the supportin -surfaces andmaking them as narrow slim fingers the brush (Z when applying the cementis enabled to cement the entire exposed surface of thelayer, which wouldnot be the case if the holders were made as flat springs grasping thelonger edges of the layers, and should a fiat spring having only avertical movement toward and from the supports be employed the secondlayer of stifiening material with cement upon it could not be accuratelyapplied to an already-cemented surface and pushed laterally underneaththe spring against the stops, for the tacking-surfaces of the cementwould preclude such operation.

We do not desire to limit ourselves to the exact shape shown for theactuating devices, as it will be obvious that other forms of holders andof devices for actuating the brush might be employed by a skilledmechanic, without the exercise of invention, without departing from thespirit or scope of our invention.

Having described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent,

1. In a machine for the manufacture of shoestiffenings, the combinationwith an endless carrier composed of a series of flexibly-connectedstiffening-supporting surfaces, of holding devices pivotally mountedupon the opposite ends of the said supporting-surfaces and adapted whenopened to expose an open space of substantially the length of thestiffening-layer to be applied to the stiffener-surface, and means toopen and close the said holders, substantially as described.

2. In a machine for the manufacture of shoestiffenings, the combinationwith an endless carrier composed of a series of stiffening-supportingsurfaces joined by a flexible connection, of registering devices appliedto the side edges of said stiffening-supporting surfaces, and pivotedholders mounted upon the opposite ends of the said surfaces, and meansto open and close the said holders to receive stiffening layers,substantially as described.

3. In a machine for the manufacture of shoestiffenings, the combinationwith an endless carrier, composed of a series of stifiening-supportingsurfaces jointed together, holding devices pivotally mounted upon theopposite ends of said surfaces, means to open the said holders for thereception of stiffener-layers, and to thereafter close them on the saidlayers, of a brush, and means to automatically operate it to applycement from one to the other end of the said layers, substantially asdescribed.

4. In a machine for the manufacture of shoeto it a series of plates toconstitute stiffeningsupporting surfaces, of holding devices attached tothe opposite ends of each of said plates to engage and hold thestiffening-layers in place on said plates, and devices to open theholders to enable a stifiening-layer to be applied to thesupporting-surface, substantially as described.

5. In a machine for the manufacture of shoestifieuings, the combinationwith an endless carrier having stiffening-supportin g surfaces, ofholding devices to engage and hold the stifiening-layers in place, anddevices to open the holders and effect the discharge of the cementedlayers, substantially as described.

6. In a machine for the manufacture of shoestiffenings, the endlessseries of supports for the layers of stiffening material, andsuitableholders to hold the same in place thereon, combined with acement-holder, a brush, and means to actuate the brush to apply cementfrom one to the other end of the stifiener-layers, substantially asdescribed.

7. In a machine for the manufacture of shoestiffenings, the endlessseries of supports for the layers of stiffening material, and suitableholders to hold the same in place thereon, combined with a brush to acton the superimposed stiffener layers and smooth the united layers,substantially as described.

8. In a machine for the manufacture of shoestiffenings, the endlessseries of supports for the layers of stiffening material, and holders tohold the same in place thereon, combined with a cement-holder, a brush,and means to actuate the brush to apply cement from one to the other endof the stiffener-layers, and a brush to act on the superimposedstiffenerlayers and smooth the united edges, substan tially asdescribed.

9. In a machine for the manufacture of shoestiffenings, the endlessseries of supports for the layers of stiffening material and holders tohold the same in place thereon, combined with a cement-holder, a brush,and means to actuate the brush to apply cement from one to the other endof the stiffener-layers, and devices to automatically supply the partswith cement, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification inthe-presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN R. MGMANUS.

- THOMAS F. HART.

YVitnesses:

JOHN C. Enwnnns, AUGUSTA E. DEAN.

